Time For Sandals continued a dream week for trainer Harry Eustace when causing a 25-1 upset in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) under Richard Kingscote June 20 at Ascot Racecourse.
Eustace had claimed a breakthrough group 1 success with Docklands in Tuesday's Queen Anne Stakes and sent out La Botte to finish second in Thursday's Britannia Stakes.
Time For Sandals was positioned in the far-side group and powered home to deny 28-1 runner-up Arizona Blaze and 20-1 third Rayevka. Shisospicy, winner of the Mamzelle Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs last out, finished 15th in the 21-horse field.
The Royal Ascot victory was the first top-level win for Time For Sandals, a 3-year-old daughter of Sands of Mali. Runner-up in last season's Lowther Stakes (G2), Time For Sandals had placed in both of her starts this year, most recently going down narrowly in a group 3 contest at Chantilly.
"We'd planned to follow the American horse and the draw had been a concern, but Karl's filly (Albany Stakes winner Venetian Sun) came out of stall 1 and it gave us the confidence in our side," Eustace said. "She's been training very well and a good strong pace to aim at is what she needed.
"It's the hardest place on earth this place," the trainer said. "They've arrived in very good shape and they've trained super all year. We knew we'd have good horses coming in good form, and then you need the racing luck ... It has been an extraordinary week, and that is all down to the team at home, I stand here and talk to you on camera, but they are the ones up in the mornings, feeding them, riding them, checking them—it's all the little things all the way through and I can't thank them enough. The owners are relatively new and this is the second ever horse they have had. They are pretty lucky people."
"I've had nice horses to ride but since Sir Michael (Stoute, former trainer) retired this year was up in the air," winning rider Kingscote said. "It was always going to be a year of building back up. I've had a nice bit of support and I'm delighted to get on a filly like her. As you know, Royal Ascot winners are hard to come by. She was (moving) up in grade, so she had to do better than what she had been doing, but she has progressed. A Royal Ascot group 1 has always been a dream, so I am delighted. Harry is a lovely man to ride for. I am delighted for him. Two group 1 winners at Royal Ascot is a massive achievement."
Eustace's father, James, who won the 1998 Royal Hunt Cup with Refuse to Lose, said: "It is like magic, like a dream; it has been absolutely superb. It is so wonderful because the Queen Anne was a marker."
Trainer Adrian Murray said of Arizona Blaze: "It was a big run. He never runs a bad race and always turns up on the day. When he came home the last time, he was a little bit flat and not himself, so he was probably a little under the weather when he ran. We put that behind us and were very confident of a good run. I couldn't believe the price!"
Rayevka's trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said: "This is a filly we needed to switch off. We have no choice and she is still learning how to race. Unfortunately, we didn't have one to take her a little bit further in to the race, but she picked up very nicely and it is a very good performance to be third. I always liked her."
Graded stakes-winning American Shisospicy, racing for trainer Jose D'Angelo and owners Morplay Racing and Qatar Racing, led a group of runners on the far side of the straightaway course before fading over the final quarter-mile. The 3-year-old Mitole filly weakened to 15th in the field of 21 sprinters
Racing Post writer Stuart Riley contributed to this story.
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